Tuesday morning notes – starting goalies, line-ups and links

Tonight the Kings are in Edmonton for a game beginning at 7pm PST. Here’s some key preview info to get you prepped and ready…

– Jonathan Quick was the first goalie off the ice at this morning’s pre-game skate. So, he looks to be the Kings starter. In 12 games vs. the Oilers, Quick has posted a 7-1-4 mark, with a 1.63 goals against average.

– On the other side, Edmonton is expected to start Nikolai Khabibulin. He is 20-12-1 vs. the Kings lifetime. Also of note, he’s only started one other game this season.

– The Kings line-up, which will feature several changes (including Kyle Clifford on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown) will not have the services of Simon Gagne, Brad Richardson or Andrew Campbell. All three players look to be healthy scratches tonight.

– Speaking of Clifford, he recently said he wants to be known for being more than ‘just a fighter’ and so far so good – seven points (two goals and five assists), after posting just 12 points all of last season.

– These next two games might be the final audition for rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin, as Alec Martinez could return from injury as soon as this coming Saturday vs. Colorado.

– Meanwhile, Campbell is dreaming of playing in the NHL, not tweeting about it (link)

– Flashback: Oilers’ rookie Nail Yakupov ties the game vs. the Kings with just 4.7 seconds remaining in regulation, slides across the ice and then reacts to people not being happy with the celebration (link)

– Former Oilers captain Ethan Moreau signed with the Kings in the summer of 2011, hoping he’d finally realize his dream of winning a Stanley Cup. While his LA teammates went on to hoist the trophy, Moreau’s career had ended a few months prior. What really happened and why did things go down the way they did? He explained it here in an exclusive interview with MayorsManor.

Follow @mayorNHL
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Enjoy a free replay of John Hoven and Jonathan Davis on NHL Network Radio following the Kings-Ducks game in Anaheim, where they were joined by Dennis Bernstein and Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period magazine, as well as actor Michael Rosenbaum, and a host of other special guests. Some of the topics discussed […]

There’s an old adage in hockey that says you can’t win a division in the first month of the season, but you sure can lose it. Through the first 15 games of the 2016-17 season, the LA Kings may not be eliminated from Pacific Division contention, but the road to the title is going to be […]

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Comments

Changing lines might help mentally but the kings don’t give you a different look from line to line. Its attack of the clones. I watch every game I can all 30 teams. Kings past 3 years are most predictable, least creative, terrible rush. Everything about the kings offense is about zone entry and puck possesion, that’s it. Too much of the same player. Screw defense over offense, yeah its a big help in tourney play, but you will never be a good reg season team. I’m dissapointed Gagne is out this game. Atleast he looks alive, he’s not a clone. ANY SURPRISE THE KINGS BEST PLAYERS ARE THE ONES WITH LEAST AMOUNT OF PLAYING TIME IN ORGANIZATION? Should be a red flag. Only a matter of time until Carter Voynov and Gange are turned into clones, just like Richards. If all an opponent has to do is take your time and space away and keep you on the boards then you’re not making them work or think very hard.